Longtime Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder and MLB manager Bill Virdon has passed away, the Pirates confirmed Tuesday. He was 90 years old.
"Bill Virdon was a man who took such great pride in being a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates family," Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. "Every fan who followed our 1960 team will always remember the instrumental role that he played to bring a third World Series championship to the city of Pittsburgh.
"We are also eternally grateful for everything that Bill did representing the Pirates following his playing days not only as a successful manager, but also in helping a countless number of our young players that he so proudly instructed and mentored as a coach and one of our long-time Spring Training guest instructors," added Nutting. "We send our thoughts and prayers to Bill's wife of 70 years, Shirley, his children Debbie Virdon Lutes, Linda Virdon Holmes and Lisa Virdon Brown, along with his seven grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren."
Virdon grew up in Missouri and was originally signed by the Yankees in 1950, though they traded him to the Cardinals for Hall of Famer Enos Slaughter in 1954. Virdon broke into the big leagues with the St. Louis in 1955 and won NL Rookie of the Year honors that season after hitting .281/.322/.433 with 17 home runs in 144 games.
The Cardinals traded Virdon to the Pirates for Bobby Del Greco and Dick Littlefield the following the season, and he spent the next 10 years as a very productive member of their outfield. He went 7 for 29 (.241) with three doubles in the 1960 World Series win over the Yankees, and retired as a career .267/.316/.369 hitter following a brief six-game comeback cameo in 1968.
Following his playing career, Virdon jumped right into minor league coaching and managing, and he managed the Pirates from 1972-73. Virdon then moved on to the manage the Yankees (1974-75), the Astros (1975-82), and the Expos (1983-84). He retired with a career 995-921 (.519) managerial record and took the 1972 Pirates to the NLCS.